Method of bleaching veneers.



B. E. STRONG & OLEM R.

METHOD OF BLE NG VENE APPLICATION FILED MAR. 30, 1914.

Patented Feb.9,1915.

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B. -E. STRONG & H. G. CLEMENGER. METHOD OF BLEACHING V'ENBERS.APPLICATION FILED MAR. 30, 1914.

mwm Patented. Feb. 9, 1915.

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APPLIGATION FILED MAR. 30, 1914. 1, 1 28,?3m Patented Feb. 9, 1915.

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BIEJBJDETTE STRONG AND HARRY G. CLEMENGE R, OF JAMESTOW'N, NEW YORK.

METHOD on BLEACHING vmv'nnns'.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, BERDETTE E. STRONG, and HARRY G; GLEMENGER,citizens of the United States, residing atthe" city of James\ town, inthe county of Chautauqua and State of New York, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Methods of Bleaching Veneers, ofwhiclrthe following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,is a specification.

The invention relates to ,a process of bleachin veneer or thin boards;and the object o the improvement is, first, to pro- .vide a method ofbleaching veneer in sheets wherein a desired number of sheets areassembled or supported together so as to be simultaneously submerged andtreated in a bleaching solution and held se arated from one another byan interpose medium in such a manner that the bleaching solution maycome in contact withthe entire surfaces of the veneer sheets allowingthe operation to be economically carried out without injury to thesheets; and second, to provide a process in which the sheets are heldseparated by open work textile or' wire fabric such as textile net orwebbing or coarse wire fabric which will not be aflected by thechemicals in the bleaching solution to thereby discolor or injure theveneer sheets and yet which will last for an indefinite period, therebyinsuring great economy in the use of the process; and the inventionconsists in the novel combinations hereinafter set-forth and claimed. 7In the drawings, Figure lis a side elevation of a 'separatmgscreen ormedium with fairly close mesh or weave; and Fig. 2 shows a similarseparating. screen or medium with coarse mesh. Fig. 3 is a perspectiveview of a portion of the bleaching vatwith the "sheets of veneerseparated by the screens,a single screen between each of the sheets ofveneer, the sheets of veneer, the screens and vat being shown invertical section. Fig. 4 isa sectional view at line X X in Fig. 2,showing the preferred manner of constructing the separating screen withundulations in-the strands of the coarse mesh of the fabric. Fig. 5 is aplan view of a sheet of veneerto be bleached. Fig. 6 is an tilSpecification of Letters Patent.

i Application filed March 30, 1914.. Serial Nof828,204.

elevation of a plurality of boards or .sheets' of veneer separated bycoarse cloth, netting or other flexible material, Fig. 7 is an eleatvation of a plurality of sheets of veneer Patented Feb. a, rats.

separating material, veneer and vat being shown in vertical section.Fig. 9 is a perspective sectional View of the bleaching vat with thethin boards or veneer suspended from rods in the top of the vat withweights on their lower edges and placed alternately with sheets ofcoarse cloth, netting or other porous material which form a separatingmedium between the sheets of veneer or boards. Fig. 10 is a sectionalelevation of the bleaching vat lengthwise of the sheets of veneer andseparating medium, showing the sheets of veneer suspended from a plu-.

rality of cross rods. Fig. 11 is an elevation,

of'one of the hooked clamps for supporting the veneer on the cross rodsand attaching the weights on the loweredges of the sheets of veneer.

Like numerals of reference refer to corres onding parts in the severalviews.

fihThe numeral 10 designates a bleaching vat w ich should be'sufliciently large to hold the sheets of veneer or boards 14, whichvary in size, and to hold sufficient of the bleaching compound13 tocover the veneer when placed in the Vet 10.

The sheets of veneer 14 are usually cut from logs from four to twelvefeet in length,

and some sheets are the full length of the log and the full cut aroundthe periphery of the log, often attaining a width'of four feet. Thedifficulty in firmly holding such a large sheet of thin veneer separatefrom other sheets within the bleaching liquid without warping will beappreciated.

It is essential that the sheets of veneer or boards should not bepermitted to contact with one another in the bleaching compound untilthe sap or native juices are entirely extracted. Should they contactwith one another before the extraction of the sap they would badlydiscolor one another at each point of contact, since the chemical actionof the bleaching compound upon the wood before the extraction of the sapcauses such a discoloration or spotting. The separating medium must atthe same time permit the free access of the bleaching compound to theentire surface of the veneer or boards 14. After the'extraction of thesap the contacting of the veneer or boards does not discolor the same. I

There are different ways of supporting the veneer or thin boards and theseparating medium therefor in the bleaching compound.

' The assembled boards or veneer with the at the top of the vat 10 inwhich .case

they would need weights 24 at the lower edges to keep the thin boardsfirmly in line. When the veneer or thin boards 14 are placed on edge onthe bars 11 the separating medium'or frames supporting the sheets of,veneer should be sufiiciently strong to firmly hold the sheets in line.Accordingly a separating frame or screen 15 is provided, having asubstantially close woven mesh 16 for certain woods, or a coarse mesh 17for others. The material used for the strands of the mesh 16 and 17 maybe such that it will not discolor the boards or veneer 14 or affect thebleaching com-pound 13. Textile netting is preferred, though tinnedwoven wire will accomplish the purpose.

It is apparent that a solid flat surface would not permit the access'ofthe bleaching compound to the sides of the boards or sheets of-veneer14, accordingly a porous medium is required. The strands of the mesh 16and 17 are preferably made in undulating form, as shown in Fig. 4, sothat the spaced undulations or points contact at regular intervalsagainst the side of the veneer when placed along side the same, therebyholding the entire sheet of veneer or thin board firmly in line bypressing upon all parts of the same at spaced intervals.

I To insure the absolute separation of sheets of delicate veneer, as forexample birds-eye maple, a strip of fabric 18, like coarse cloth,

netting or other bendable material, may be wrapped about the sheets ofveneer 14, being folded back and forth as the veneer is placed upon thesame or laid alternately therewith K so as to place a thickness of thematerial be- 7 mass is placed edgewise in the vat 10 upon' tween thesides of two adj acent sheets:

It is apparent, however, that a series of thin sheets of veneer needadditional support beside the cloth in order to stand on their edges.Accordingly, a single or a pair of screen frames 15 are inserted atspacedintervals between the separated sheets of veneer or boundtherewith, and the whole the supporting bars 11 in the same manner thatthe heavier boards or veneers shown in Fig. 3 are placed on ed e, andthe bleaching compound 13 is then owed about the veneers by filling thevat or the bound sheets of veneer and separating medium may be submergedin the compound. The Wood veneer has to be held beneath the surface ofthe bleaching compound, otherwise it would float and not stay submergedand thereby stop the bleaching process.

The alternate sheets of veneer and coarse cloth, netting or other porousmaterial may be hung from rods 20 supported on the upper edge or nearthe upper edge of the vat in holes 19 or notches 26. The sheets of cloth22 may be arranged with eyelets 21 and slipped onto the rods 20 or maybe hung therefrom the same as the sheets of veneer 10. For long sheetsof veneer aplurality of rods 20 should be provided and a small clamp 25with a hook 23 attached thereto for hooking over the rods 20. The sameclamp 25 is also used for clamping the lower edge ofthe veneer 10 andhanging a weight '24 thereon to hold the veneer in line.

It is apparent that the sheets of cloth 22 'could be supported from therods 20, the

same as the sheets of veneer 10, and that this arrangement holds theveneer in the bleaching compound.

It is obvious that it would not depart from our invention to lay thesheets of veneer or thin boards 14 flat upon their sides on thesupporting bars 11 instead of supporting them on their edges on saidbars or hanging them from the bars 20. It is found however that thebleaching compound 13 works up between the sheets ,of veneer withgreater freedom when placed vertically in the vat 10, and that all partsof each board or sheet of veneer are thus more thoroughly and quicklyapproached by the bleaching compound.

WVe claim as new v 1. The herein described method of bleaching veneersheets consisting in assembling a plurality of veneer sheets andmterposmg a separating medium between said sheets of veneer to preventtheir touching one another, and then submerging the same in a bleachingsolution.

2. The herein described method of bleaching veneer sheets, consisting inassembl ng a plurality of veneer sheets and interposing a porousseparating medium between said sheets of veneer to prevent theirtouching one another, and then submerging the same in a bleachingsolution.

3. The herein described method ofbleaching sheet veneer, consisting inassembling a number of sheets'together with interposed layers of atextile fabric, and then submerging the assembled veneer and fabric m ableaching solution.

4. The herein described method of bleaching veneer sheets, consisting inassembling a plurality of sheets of veneer in bundle form withinterposed layers of fabric netting, and then dipping the bundle in ableaching solution.

5. The herein described method of bleaching veneer sheets, consisting inassembling a plurality of sheets of veneer and interposing 'a-separatingmedium between said sheets comprising inter-crossed threads or

